Stages
by Riah-chan
Summary: Falseshipping StringsCadeline After the loss of everything you know, what is a performer to do? The show must go on, some way or another. This was originally a rejected pairing from Lokichan's Pairings List challenge... but a challenge isn't a challe


Title: Stages  
  
Rating: G  
  
Category: General/Romance~ish  
  
Pairing: Cadeline/Strings (Falseshipping)  
  
Summary: After the loss of everything you know, what is a performer to do? The show must go on, some way or another. This was originally a rejected pairing from Loki-chan's Pairings List challenge... but a challenge isn't a challenge if it is easy.^__^  
  
Spoilers: Not really. Cadeline was Pandora's assistant/girlfriend and Strings was the guy that Yuugi had to duel to get Osiris.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. I'm not making any money. Please don't sue.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Cadeline had worked hard to ma a name for herself after separating from her former love and partner after his accident. It was difficult. There was not much of a market for magic acts headlined by female magicians (unless you wanted to parade around in little to no clothing and make it practically a strip-tease act that just happened to have magic.) It would have been much simpler to latch on to some other magician and be their "beautiful assistant." That would have been a safer road.  
  
But she wanted more. Cadeline wanted her name to be on people's lips as they left the theater. She wanted little girls to look at her and say, "I want to do magic like that when I grow up!" She wanted to be the star that everyone came to see.  
  
It had taken her along time to put together an act that would do that. Too many other women on stage made it look like Showgirls of Magic. The wrong type of male assistant and the audience forgot that she was the magician. Too big of a show was not able to fit in the smaller venues. Too small of a show was swallowed in the bigger ones. But, finally, she had found the right balance… and the right assistant.  
  
He was a strange one. He rarely spoke and did not seem to take much interest in most things in the world around him. Cadeline had picked him up while touring in Japan. His pierced face and mime-like movements had strangely drawn her to him and caused her to offer him a part in her show. Originally, she had planned to use him to startle the audience at different points in the performance (thereby distracting them form the source of her illusions.) But he had proven himself unexpectedly adept at learning her tricks and even provided some innovations and improvements to them.  
  
And he never distracted the audience from her light.  
  
It was so different to work with him than she was used to. He was not handsome or flamboyant, as her former partner had been. Nor was he demanding of attention. He allowed himself to be led and directed by her, molded and shaped into something that caused her star to shine at its brightest. He never complained about being her support. It was nice to be the center of attention even backstage.  
  
Now they were on the brink of something greater. She had just been signed to perform for a week at a major hotel in Vegas and was in negotiations for a TV special. Both things would boost her career incredibly if they went well. And when she had excitedly told Strings about the news, he simply looked at her and said with an almost monotone voice, "I am your assistant. I will go wherever you go and perform with you."  
  
It had touched her with the simple way he had said it, as if he were just stating his obvious purpose in life. Maybe he was helping her find a purpose too… Tomorrow would be a better time to look at that… or maybe the next day. But, for now, it was time to hit the stage.  
  
Owari.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Notes: Wednesday, March 03, 2004- I promised myself that if I finished all of my quiz questions tonight, I would let myself type this up.^__^ Yeah, I know this is pretty lame. Maybe I'll rework it sometime in the future. It was interesting to try and create something for these two characters that have little to no screen time. Yes, there really is a show (in Las Vegas) called 'Showgirls of Magic'… I forget which hotel it is at. It was fun to include a little bit of Las Vegas stuff in this story.  
  
Riah-chan 


End file.
